Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		2.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.0

Cartouche Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 19, 2021

Philippe de Broca's "Cartouche" (1962) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the disc include new audio commentary by critic and author Simon Abrams; recent program with Alexandra de Broca and Journalist Thomas Morales; and vintage trailer for the film. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Survivors

When I was growing up, there were a couple of big European adventure films that always packed my local theater. It did not matter how many times the owner had screened them in the past. There were always people willing to see them because they offered the type of escapist entertainment that in those days was desperately needed. (The next best thing was reading one of Emilio Salgari or Karl May’s classic novels about imaginary pirates and cowboys). I knew the guy working in the projection booth, so he would let me in through the back door and I would sneak in without paying for a ticket. Sometimes I did not have money to purchase one, but more often than not the shows were simply sold out.

My favorite film was Sandokan with Kabir Bedi and Philippe Leroy. This film was actually made for TV, but its theatrical version is absolutely superb, and I must have seen it more than a hundred times. In those days, I was convinced that The Tiger of Mompracem was the biggest cinematic character and was obsessed with it. One summer, while working random jobs at the beach, I saved all of my earnings and used them to order a big custom-made flag like the one The Tiger of Mompracem always had on his ship. (It was a big red flag with a tiger head in the middle of it). Then there were The Black Tulip (La Tulipe Noire) and Zorro with Alain Delon. The latter was a bigger hit amongst the local kids, but I always thought that the former was a superior film. There was another very popular Italian film titled The Tiger of the Seven Seas (La Tigre dei Sette Mari) which the owner and his wife liked a lot. It played mostly during the weekends because it mixed plenty of humor and action which made it a good family film. The three Winnetou films with Lex Barker and Pierre Brice were incredibly popular and made plenty of money for the owner as well. I liked them too, but I always preferred reading May’s books because in them Old Shatterhand’s adventures were far more elaborate. The final film that typically sold out the theater was Fanfan La Tulipe with Gerard Philipe, which was also the only one shot in black-and-white. The swordplay and acrobatic action in it were frequently applauded with an energy that very few other adventure films could inspire in the same theater.

I discovered Cartouche in the same theater after one day the owner did a double-bill with The Black Tulip. I had seen The Black Tulip and liked it a lot, and since Delon and Belmondo were already huge stars in my neck of the woods, I knew exactly what type of entertainment to expect. I wasn’t disappointed. Cartouche offered bushwhacking fun with a French Robin Hood-eque flavor that was clearly prepped for mass consumption. I thought that Belmondo wasn’t as glamorous as Delon, but this is why he became so popular in the first place -- he looked rough and casual, like the guy you would meet at the Sunday soccer game, and yet he did all the things Delon did.

Cartouche and The Black Tulip came out in the early ‘60s, and while it may seem like the latter improved on what the former did, they both copy the blueprint of Fanfan la Tulipe. For example, it is not a coincidence that each of the male leads in these films is teamed up with a big Italian diva (Gina Lollobrigida, Claudia Cardinale, Virna Lisi) and the romance between them flourishes in pretty much the exact same manner. Also, all three do period action in much the same way. Indeed, the action is a blend of carefully choreographed but still tolerating improvisation fighting with plenty of witty humor that infuses each film with similar lightness and energy. Finally, all three films use their soundtracks in very particular yet similar ways to enhance their period atmosphere. (Gerald Calvi scored Fanfan la Tulipe and The Black Tulip).

As it was usually the case until the late ‘80s, Belmondo did all of his stunts in Cartouche. Obviously, they are not as challenging as the ones seen in films like The Burglars, Le guignolo, and Happy Easter, but many are nevertheless quite impressive.

Cartouche Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Cartouche arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

This film was recently restored in 4K at L'immagine Ritrovata on behalf of StudioCanal. Unfortunately, the end result is yet another awful misfire that is actually impossible to describe as a 'restoration'. Indeed, while the ungraded master appears to have been very healthy, the color grading that was approved for it is so atrocious that the restored film actually does not look like a film. For example, virtually all of the darker footage is destabilized by large blocks of flat grays whose digital roots give the film a strikingly digital appearance. The primary color values are incorrect as well, so there are all kinds of other color balance issues that make the film unwatchable. (Cartouche is supposed to have a wide range of diverse, very beautiful organic colors that are simply missing from this 'restoration'). Instead of boasting terrific depth and fine shadow details and nuances, much of the film actually struggles to maintain proper delineation, which is why on a large screen the shortcomings of the makeover become impossible to ignore. Image stability is excellent. The entire film looks spotless as well. All in all, this is yet another horrible digital reimagination of a classic European film that should have never been greenlighted. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Cartouche Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio is excellent. The audio is very clear, sharp, and wonderfully balanced. It has really ranges of dynamic nuances as well, which is important because between the mass action sequences and the music score there are plenty of opportunities to impress. There are no audio dropouts, pops, hiss, or distortions to report in our review.

Cartouche Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - exclusive new audio commentary recorded by critic and author Simon Abrams.

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for Cartouche. In French, with English subtitles. (4 min).

• Adventure with a Capital "C" - in this recent documentary, Alexandra de Broca and Journalist Thomas Morales discuss the conception, production and lasting appeal of Cartouche. The documentary was produced for StudioCanal. In French, with optional English subtitles. (27 min).

Cartouche Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The recent 4K restoration of Cartouche is atrocious. This isn't how this classic film is supposed to look, but I am not surprised by its current digital appearance because all of its flaws are introduced by the same horrible color-grading practice that has been promoted by L'Immagine Ritrovata and a couple of other European labs for quite a while now. The real tragedy, however, is that these types of humongous misfires keep getting endorsed by people that should know better -- a lot better. AVOID.